Wrapping Up
by kjt1
Summary: Unbound Challenge response. Greg and bubble wrap make for a strange combination. And Grissom makes a statement to Sara. GS


Title: Wrapping Up  
Rating: PG  
Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with CSI, damn  
Spoilers: None that I'm aware of, though I guess it's set early S5  
Notes: Unbound challenge response. First and last lines provided, word limit of 1000 and, yet again, I managed to just achieve that, yay! Of course, this has a little GS in there, because it wouldn't be right without it ;-)

-

**"Okay, I may be missing something, but... what's with the bubble wrap"**

Greg looked up at the sound of her voice and fixed her with a pitiful expression. "I'm getting prepared, like a good boy scout," he said with a mixture of pride and slight fear.

"And this preparation requires you to wrap both of your arms in bubble wrap?"

Noticing her smirk and barely concealed chuckle, Greg glared at her. "I'm working with Nick and Warrick on a case and they're calling in the dog handlers." Her raised eyebrows told him he needed to clarify further. "They said I have to do the running with the dogs, since I'm the rookie."

She didn't even attempt to hide her laugh, letting it rumble up from her stomach and escape through her lips in a way that required her to grab onto the table for support.

"Let me guess, you think the dogs are somehow going to attack you?"

Looking fearful again, Greg confessed, "I overheard Nick and Warrick talking in the locker room. Nick said that, once the dogs aren't needed anymore, he's going to give them my baseball cap to sniff so that they attack me."

"You know they won't really do that, right?" she smiled. "They probably knew you were listening, Greg." He didn't look convinced and continued to apply tape to keep the bubble wrap in place. "If you leave this room looking like that, you'll never live it down."

"But at least I'll live," he replied seriously, causing Sara to chuckle again.

Shaking her head and deciding to leave him to his fate, Sara started to leave the room, but turned back as she reached the door. "Don't say I didn't warn you, Greg."

-

"Sara?" said Grissom as he entered the break room to get some coffee and found her reading over some files. She looked up at him questioningly. "Why did I just see Greg leave the lab with bubble wrap on both of his arms?"

"You really don't want to know," she grinned. Expecting him to end the conversation there and head back to his office, she was surprised when he dropped into a seat beside her and pulled one of her files towards himself.

"How's your case going?" he asked, skimming the file and then looking to her for an answer.

"Just waiting for the suspect to be brought in for questioning. I have enough evidence though, so I think he'll roll over pretty quickly."

Grissom nodded and took a sip of his coffee before closing the file and handing it back to her. "Good work, Sara," he said genuinely. "Once the interview is finished, go home and get some rest, the report can wait until next shift."

She objected immediately. "I'm fine."

"I know you are, but you won't be if you don't get some rest," he countered.

"Like you'd care," she muttered under her breath, beginning to get annoyed at his apparent belief that she didn't look after herself.

Standing up and refilling his coffee mug, Grissom spoke from across the room, so quietly that his voice wouldn't carry outside the open door. "I do care, that's why I'm asking you to rest. I also think you need to eat properly, but at least I can help with that part."

Sara dropped the file she was reading in shock and stared at him. "You can help?" she queried, her voice nothing more than a mere whisper, all her strength being concentrated on processing his words.

"I'm taking you to dinner tonight," he stated matter-of-factly, taking a sip of coffee. Based on his voice, Sara would have thought he was entirely calm, but the hand holding his mug was trembling.

"You are?" she said shakily. He didn't give his reply vocally, opting instead to nod. When she recovered control, Sara asked, "Don't I get a say in this?"

"No."

His one word answer infuriated her, though she knew she shouldn't have expected anything else.

"Why not?"

"Because, if I asked, you might say no."

"Well, you'd know all about that," she said before her brain had a chance to engage.

She dropped her eyes, but could feel his gaze upon her and finally looked up, a little taken aback at the intensity she found in his eyes.

"That's why I'm telling you, instead of asking you," he stated. "I'll pick you up at 6."

Before she had a chance to argue, he disappeared, leaving her to stare after him, mouth hanging open in astonishment. Did Gil Grissom just ask her out?

-

"I see you survived the dogs," commented Sara as she bumped into Greg in the locker room. She was still reeling from her earlier discussion with Grissom but, since he had taken himself off to a scene shortly afterwards, she had tried to put it out of her mind.

"Barely," he whined. "Nick threatened to put some meat in my back pocket when I least expected it."

Sara started laughing and Greg pouted, before turning away and wrestling with the bubble wrap in an attempt to remove it from his right arm. When he wasn't having much success, he whirled back around to ask Sara for help, unwittingly crashing into her and knocking her to the floor.

"Sara! Are you okay?" he said in panic.

Looking up at his horror-stricken face, she let him off the hook quickly. "I'm fine, the bubble wrap you've already discarded provided a nice cushion." Giving him a smile, she pushed herself to her feet.

Greg was instantly relieved and started fighting with the bubble wrap again and, once more, he whirled around as he fought, barely missing Sara.

"You know what, I think I'm just gonna stay down there," **she laughed as she threw herself to the floor again.**

-

Fin


End file.
